Place of last lost hope

Richard Bollman, S.J., the longtime pastor of Bellarmine Chapel, the quaint little shrine to 70s-style liturgical abuse and doctrinal dissent on the campus of Cincinnati’s Xavier University, kicks off a meandering, barely coherent recent homily by likening the Holy See to the Pharisees:

To some extent, the concerns of the Pharisees about the disciples eating without hand-washing are like a Vatican investigation, checking out a new way of life. And this only goes to show what an enduring issue this is among us: You probably have your own favorite places of defending turf–which commandments are the most important, which are somehow lesser, more built on customs but not necessary for life.

I’ve heard you say through the years how Bellarmine is a place of last hope, or a safe house where you can live your truth and find its purpose, tell its story. I’m glad you feel safe and received. It’s not because of what I have sorted out or what the staff believes, but more because we share your need to find God’s silence at times, and to move in the direction where Christ groans out a prayer for us all.
Friends in faith create a climate of consolation for the restless, the afflicted. Even up against the careless injustice frequently of the Church itself. Friends in faith can do this. Christ can do this. His groaning to God.

Am I the only one who finds the self-referential nature of what emanates from the Bellarmine lectern not only childish and immature, but downright creepy?

Related

18 Responses to “Place of last lost hope”

“Am I the only one who finds the self-referential nature of what emanates from the Bellarmine lectern not only childish and immature, but downright creepy?”

No. I share your view. But as an XU grad I have an added dimension – sadness, frustration and impatience. I have taken solace in the view this added dimension has come with the generation coming of age in the 60’s and early 70’s taking control. Any view of that generation must include understanding of its essential self absorption. They are passing from the scene – retiring and otherwise passing. I look with hope to the coming and growing leadership. There are good signs.

There is a part in C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce where a pious woman has a husband who wants the world to be as miserable as he is and the more his puppet speaks, the more the husband shrinks into oblivion. Between Cardinal Martini’s disgraceful and bilious parting shot and Fr. Richard here playing the victim card, it reminds me of that story. As these guy’s worldview continues to circle the drain, expect its adherents to become even shriller if such a thing is imaginable.

This homily was part of a 20 year celebration of Richard being Pastor of Bellarmine and a goodbye mass of sorts. The new Pastor will begin in January. Any “self-referencial” references picked out here is only because of the nature of the mass. A little context goes a long way.

I noted the context of his departure in the post. Read through the archives of his homilies. He is constantly preening about how wonderfully special and unique Bellarmine is. There is no sense that the chapel community is part of a universal church.

Yes Rich, but that specific mass being held as a 20 year celebration was left out. The self-reference was something inserted into a homily only because of the occasion and not something he ever trumpets or highlights. He had to be convinced to even hold such a mass.

When I went through RCIA at Bellarmine, this point you are trying to make was precisely what I had to discern. Was I feeling pulled to the Catholic Church or just the Bellarmine community. What I found in my heart was a love for the Catholic Church, beyond the walls of Bellarmine. What I found, and continue to find, is that this chapel community is, despite what you claim, deeply part of the universal church.

This idea of “place of last hope” that you highlight and several of your readership rails against, is to me a good thing. Bellarmine reminds folks who might consider leaving the Catholic church of its richness of its traditions, history, and community. Would you rather cast them away? Others, like myself, may not have stopped to take a look at the Catholic faith. Would you rather not have had those like me join the church? Perhaps the answer to both of the questions for you is yes, but I hope not.

And I guess I have my answer. Peace be with you all as you angst at the notion that there are members of your church that you don’t feel belong. Because, in your attempt to belittle me with stinging words, it is my church as well as yours.

Quoting from Father Z:
“When liberals start whining that we should tone down the rhetoric, that we should all make nice on other, blah blah blah, it means that they sense they are losing the argument. Conservatives/traditionalists/Catholics are supposed to lie down and let the liberals kick us to bloody bits and then, ever so nicely, say “Thank you!”.

I did a google search for Bellarmine chapel after attending mass there this weekend at parent’s weekend. I’m sure you will not be surprised that a year later it’s business as usual. No Gloria. Some ad-libbed profession of faith done in the style of baptismal promises, but not actual baptismal promises, ad libbed Eucharistic prayers and a very dense dark wheat bread that crumbled everywhere….

[…] it was parents weekend at Xavier University the past couple of days, and one mom shares her observations of Mass at Bellarmine Chapel: I did a google search for Bellarmine chapel after attending mass […]

Why does ‘traditional Catholic’/’conservative’ so often seem to equate with intolerance of others’ views, perspectives and experiences, or what is often called personal revelation, i.e., how God reveals himself to each individual in/through their life? I know this is most often associated with Protestant churches, but it is very much an important part of the Catholic tradition. Also, people who identify with this label often seem to be associated with intolerance of others of different faiths, races, and so on. They appear to require a rigid certainty, which we as mere mortals can never hope to attain in our lives, in spite of a life-long striving for this truth. That is why we must have faith. But it must be a reasoned, personally responsible and authentic faith that resonates with the revelation and truth in our own life. Otherwise, free will is negated and revelation/salvation, meaningless. What more can be asked of a person? I humbly submit that we are each a unique, living part of the Christian tapestry, as created by God. We are part of God’s revelation. I suppose the idea of a living, evolving community of the faithful is just too scary for these folks. According to scriptures (eg., Matthew 18:20) Jesus said “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (or “I am there in their midst”). Those who profess to know God and His will with such rigid certainty as the ‘traditional Catholic’/’conservative’ of today, I fear might be greatly humbled when they finally meet Him.

Among other things, Jesus taught us humility through the example of his life. We would each do well to try to emulate that humility, including the clergy and hierarchy of the Church. There is a great need for reconciliation and humility in the church today, starting at the top. To quote Luke 14:10, “For every man who gives himself a high place will be put down, but he who takes a low place will be lifted up.” Pope Francis has given me great hope in the redemption and renewal of the Catholic church by many of this actions and words, beginning with his poignant and humble washing of the feet of the Muslim girl. I believe that Jesus is very pleased with this small, but important act of symbolic significance. Of course, there are those who would disagree. Yet, we are all part of the same community of faith and there is room for each of us within this universal church.

The Mass is not the plaything of a self-governing community. There is nothing “rigid” about submitting to the structure of the Mass or the doctrines of the Church; it’s rather a form of humility (the real kind, not the kind done in front of cameras). By contrast, it is the height of arrogance and infantilism to insist, like a stubborn toddler, that you do as you damn-well please and still call it Catholic.

I was searching for Richard’s homilies from Bellarmine and stumbled upon this blog entry about him. Thank you for posting an excerpt from his last homily because I really miss him. I am sorry that you did not connect to the universal teachings of Jesus Christ at mass. I feel the presence of the living Christ through the Jesuits and faith-filled community at Bellarmine. I see the living Christ in people I meet everyday. It would do you some good to show a little humility and respect for Richard since Christ dwells in him, too.